Reports on Religious Freedom:
Egypt

(2000)

The Constitution provides for freedom of belief and the
practice of religious rites; however, the Government places restrictions on
this right. Under the Constitution, Islam is the official state religion
and primary source of legislation. Accordingly, religious practices that
conflict with Islamic law (Shari'a) are prohibited. However, in Egypt the
practice of Christianity or Judaism does not conflict with Shari'a and, for
the most part, members of the non-Muslim minority worship without
harassment and maintain links with coreligionists abroad.

There was a trend toward improvement in the Government's
respect for and protection of the right to religious freedom during the
period covered by this report. The Government undertook a series of
initiatives to address the concerns of the Christian community, including
the facilitation of church repairs, the appointment of Copts to senior
positions in the ruling political party, and expanded treatment of Coptic
themes in the media. There was a significant increase in press and public
discussion of the subject of religious discrimination.

Many Egyptians agree that more needs to be done to
eliminate religious discrimination, but argue that development of the
economy, polity, and society is the most effective and enduring way to
abolish prejudice. A trade dispute between a Christian clothing merchant
and a Muslim customer that occurred on December 31, 1999, in the village of
Al-Kush in Sohag governorate, escalated into violent exchanges between
Muslims and Christians in the area, culminating in the death of 21
Christians and 1 Muslim on January 2, 2000.

The subject of religious freedom remains an important
and active part of the bilateral dialog between the U.S. and Egyptian
Governments. President Clinton, the U.S. Ambassador, other senior
administration officials, and members of Congress have raised U.S. concerns
about religious discrimination with President Hosni Mubarak and other
senior officials.

Section I. Government Policies on Freedom of Religion

Legal/Policy Framework

The Constitution provides for freedom of belief and the
practice of religious rites; however, the Government places restrictions on
this right. Under the Constitution, Islam is the official state religion
and primary source of legislation. Accordingly, religious practices that
conflict with Shari'a are prohibited. However, in Egypt the practice of
Christianity or Judaism does not conflict with Shari'a and, for the most
part, members of the non-Muslim minority worship without harassment and
maintain links with coreligionists abroad.

All mosques must be licensed, and the Government is
engaged in an effort to control them legally. The Government appoints and
pays the salaries of the imams who lead prayers in mosques, proposes themes
for them, and monitors their sermons. In September 1999, the Minister of
Awqaf announced that the Government now controls 46,000 mosques and 12,000
"zawaya" (corner mosques, or mosques located within a
multipurpose building). (There are approximately 70,000 mosques in the
country.) In an effort to combat extremists, the Government has announced
its intention to bring all unauthorized mosques under its control by 2002.

Religious Demography

Most Egyptians are Sunni Muslims. There is a small
number of Shi'a Muslims. Approximately 10 percent of the population, or 6
million of 64 million, are Christians, the majority of whom belong to the
Coptic Orthodox Church. Other traditionally Christian communities include
the Armenian, Greek, and Syrian Orthodox Churches, and the Coptic,
Armenian, Chaldean, Greek, Maronite, Roman, and Syrian Catholic Churches.
An Evangelical Protestant Church, first established in the middle of the
19th century, has grown to a community of 17 Protestant denominations. The
Seventh-Day Adventist Church was granted legal status in the 1960's. The
non-Muslim, non-Coptic communities range in size from several thousand to
hundreds of thousands. Christians are geographically dispersed throughout
the country, although the percentage of Christians tends to be higher in
upper (southern) Egypt than the national average.

The Jewish community currently numbers fewer than 200
persons. There is also a very small number of Baha'is.

Governmental Restrictions on Religious Freedom

An 1856 Ottoman decree still in force requires
non-Muslims to obtain what is now a presidential decree to build a place of
worship. In addition, Interior Ministry regulations issued in 1934 specify
a set of 10 conditions that the Government must consider prior to issuance
of a presidential decree permitting construction of a church. These
conditions include the location of the proposed site, the religious
composition of the surrounding community, and the proximity of other
churches.

The Ottoman decree also requires the President to
approve permits for the repair of church facilities. In response to strong
criticism of the decree, President Mubarak took several steps to facilitate
church repairs. In December 1999, President Mubarak issued a decree making
the repair of all places of worship subject to a 1976 civil construction
code. The decree is significant symbolically because it places churches and
mosques on equal footing before the law. The practical impact of the decree
has been to facilitate significantly church repairs. During the period
covered by this report, the Government approved a total of 32 permits for
church-related construction, including 4 permits for the construction of
new churches; 6 permits for the construction of additional church
facilities; and 26 permits for churches previously constructed without
authorization. The Government reported that governors issued more than 200
permits for church-related repair in 1999.

However, the approval process for church construction is
time-consuming and insufficiently responsive to the wishes of the Christian
community. Although President Mubarak reportedly has approved all requests
for permits presented to him, Christians maintain that the Interior
Ministry delays--in some instances indefinitely--submission to the
President of their requests. They also maintain that security forces have
blocked them from utilizing permits that have been issued.

As a result of these restrictions, some communities use
private buildings and apartments for religious services. In February 2000,
security forces closed a church operating without a permit in the city of
Al-Tour in the Sinai. The Christian community in the Sinai had submitted
its first request for a permit to construct a church in Al-Tour in 1995. In
April 2000, the Government issued a permit to build a new church in the
neighborhood of Al-Qalag in the city of Shebin Al-Qanater in Qalubiya
governorate. Security forces had closed the community's historic church in
1989. In May 2000, the weekly Christian newspaper Watany published an
editorial series documenting the Government's failure to issue church
permits in 10 "new communities" (those areas outside the
traditionally inhabited Nile Valley).

In January 1996, human rights activist Mamdouh Naklah
filed suit challenging the constitutionality of the Ottoman decree. In
December 1998, an administrative court referred Naklah's case to the State
Commissioner's Office. This decision was considered a setback, as this body
of legal experts is not required to issue an opinion expeditiously and its
advisory opinions are not binding. The office had not issued an opinion in
this case by mid-2000. Once an opinion is issued, the court is expected to
try the case.

Neither the Constitution nor the Civil and Penal Codes
prohibit proselytizing or conversion. However, during the past 2 decades,
several dozen Christians who were accused of proselytizing or who had
converted from Islam to Christianity have been harassed by police or
arrested on charges of violating Article 98(F) of the Penal Code, which
prohibits citizens from ridiculing or insulting heavenly religions or
inciting sectarian strife. No such incidents occurred during the period
covered by this report.

There are no restrictions on the conversion of
non-Muslims to Islam. However, in cases involving conversion from Islam to
Christianity, authorities have charged several converts with violating laws
prohibiting the falsification of documents. In such instances, converts,
who fear government harassment if they officially register the change from
Islam to Christianity, have altered their identification cards and other
official documents themselves to reflect their new religious affiliation.
No such charges were raised during the period covered by this report

In 1997, human rights activist Mamdouh Naklah filed suit
seeking removal of the religious affiliation category from government
identification cards. Naklah challenged the constitutionality of a 1994
decree by the Minister of Interior governing the issuance of new
identification cards. The court referred the case to the State
Commissioner's Office. In May 2000, the State Commissioner's Office issued
an opinion noting that the legal challenge had not been filed within 60
days of the decree's issuance, as required by law. However, the advisory
opinions of the State Commissioner's Office are not binding. The court is
now expected to try the case.

In 1960, President Gamal Abdel Nasser issued a decree
(Law 263 for 1960) banning Baha'i institutions and community activities.
All Baha'i community properties, including Baha'i centers, libraries, and
cemeteries, were confiscated. This ban has not been rescinded.

According to a 1995 law, application of family law,
including marriage, divorce, alimony, child custody, inheritance, and
burial, is based on an individual's religion. In the practice of family
law, the State recognizes only the three "heavenly religions:"
Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. Muslim families are subject to the
Personal Status Law, which draws on Shari'a. Christian families are subject
to canon law, and Jewish families are subject to Jewish law. In cases of
family law disputes involving a marriage between a Christian woman and a
Muslim man, the courts apply the Personal Status Law. The children of such
marriages must be raised as Muslims. The Coptic Orthodox Church
excommunicates Christian women who marry Muslim men. Muslim women are
prohibited by Shari'a from marrying Christian men.

The Constitution requires schools to offer religious
instruction. Public and private schools provide religious instruction
according to the faith of the student.

The Minister of Awqaf, Hamdy Zaqzouq, established in
1996 a committee to address a dispute with the Coptic Orthodox Church that
originated in 1952. At that time, the Government seized approximately 1,500
acres of land from the Church and transferred title to the Ministry of
Awqaf, which is responsible for administering religious trusts. Based on
the committee's recommendations, more than 800 acres have been returned to
the Church. The committee continues to review claims to the remaining
disputed property.

The Ministry of Awqaf engages in interfaith discussions
both domestically and abroad.

Governmental Abuses of Religious Freedom

The Government occasionally prosecutes members of
religious groups whose practices deviate from mainstream Islamic beliefs
and whose activities are believed to jeopardize communal harmony. One focus
of government scrutiny has been the eponymous religious group established
in 1969 by Salim Al-Faramawy, which advocates the belief that members
should isolate themselves from the State and society, which he considered
atheistic, and abjure the use of science and technology, including
medicine. Faramawy also advocated the consumption of dogs and cats, a
practice prohibited by Islam. After his death in 1991, his son-in-law,
Mohamed Gouda, reportedly assumed leadership of the group. In March 2000,
the State Security Prosecutor arrested 48 persons from several governorates
alleged to be members of the Faramawy group. Gouda and the other 47 alleged
members of the group remained in detention at the end of the period covered
by this report, pending completion of an investigation by the Public
Prosecutor.

On November 11, 1999, the State Security Prosecutor
arrested 50 persons in Cairo suspected of heresy against Islam. On November
15, 1999, 30 detainees were released and the remaining 20 were charged with
degrading Islam, inciting strife, and meeting illegally. The lead
defendant, a woman named Manal Wahid Mana'a, was accused of attempting to
establish a new Islamic offshoot. She claims that the Prophet Mohamed
speaks to her. A State Security Emergency Court in Boulaq began the trial
of Mana'a and her followers on May 9, 2000. The next hearing was scheduled
for July 11, 2000.

In July 1999, a state security court in Alexandria
convicted 14 persons of heresy against Islam. The lead defendant, Mohamed
Ibrahim Mahfouz, was sentenced to 5 years in prison for claiming that he
speaks directly to God and is at times transformed into God or the Prophet
Mohamed. Seven of his followers were sentenced to 3 years in prison. Six of
his followers were sentenced to 1 year in prison. Five other defendants
were acquitted.

In August 1999, the public prosecutor reopened and
expanded an investigation of police torture of mostly Christian detainees
that took place during the police investigation in August and September
1998 of the murder of Samir Aweda Hakim and Karam Tamer Arsal in the
largely Coptic village of Al-Kush in Sohag governorate. This investigation
of police conduct is ongoing and no conclusions had been reached by
mid-2000. It is unclear whether religion was a factor in the actions of the
police officers. Some human rights groups outside Egypt believe that
religion was a factor in the Al-Kush murder investigation, but most human
rights and Christian activists in Egypt do not. Police abuse of detainees
is a widespread practice that occurs regardless of a detainee's religious
beliefs.

On June 5, 2000, a criminal court in Sohag city
convicted Shayboub William Arsal of the murder of Hakim and Arsal. The
court sentenced Shayboub to 15 years in prison at hard labor. An appeal is
pending. The Christian community of Al-Kush believes that Shayboub, a
Christian resident of Al-Kush, was accused and convicted of the crime
because of his religion. The public prosecution in Sohag has taken no
action on charges of witness tampering in Shayboub's trial that were raised
in 1998 against Bishop Wisa and Arch-Priest Antonious.

An estimated several thousand persons are imprisoned
because of alleged support for or membership in Islamist groups seeking to
overthrow the Government. The Government states that these persons are in
detention because of membership in or activities on behalf of violent
extremist groups, without regard to religious affiliation. There were no
reports linking their detention solely to their religious belief.

Improvements in Respect for Religious Freedom

There was a trend toward improvement in the Government's
respect for and protection of the right to religious freedom during the
period covered by this report. In December 1999, President Mubarak issued a
decree making the repair of all places of worship subject to a 1976 civil
construction code. The decree is significant symbolically because it places
churches and mosques on equal footing before the law. The practical impact
of the decree has been to facilitate significantly church repairs. In
February 2000, President Mubarak announced the reorganization of the
Government's National Democratic Party (NDP), including the appointment of
five Copts to senior political party positions. The NDP holds the vast
majority of seats in Parliament. The NDP and opposition political parties
also have announced that they intend to nominate Copts to run for seats in
Parliament in the fall 2000 elections.

The Ministry of Tourism arranged festivities in June
2000, which were attended by the Prime Minister and other senior
dignitaries, celebrating the millennium anniversary of the arrival of the
Holy Family, which, according to tradition, sojourned in Egypt. The
Ministry of Housing and the American Ultra-Orthodox Jewish Athra Kadisha
were expected to complete construction of a highway-bridge through the
ancient Basatin Jewish Cemetery in Cairo in September 2000. The project is
designed to be a modern highway--part of Cairo's Ring Road--that traverses
a cemetery but meets the religious strictures against moving or vibrating
buried bodies.

In January 1999, the Government formed a committee of
academics to revise the history curriculum in the primary and secondary
schools. A primary objective of the committee is to reintroduce into the
curriculum the Coptic and Byzantine periods of Egyptian history. During the
period covered by this report, new text was developed; however, it has not
yet been incorporated into the curriculum.

Building on actions first taken in December 1999 and
January 2000, government-owned television and radio significantly expanded
the amount of programming time devoted to Christian issues, including the
live broadcast of Christmas and Easter services and documentaries on the
Holy Family's travels in Egypt and other Christian history. Pope John Paul
II's February 2000 visit to Egypt, including his Mass, visits to holy
sites, and meetings with religious leaders, received extensive press and
television coverage. The Government introduced several television dramas
that emphasize religious tolerance, and news programs pointedly sought
official Christian views on topical matters. The media did not broadcast
any discriminatory programs. Government newspapers provided more editorial
space to Christian themes and authors than in past years. The First Lady,
Suzanne Mubarak, has endorsed the development of reading materials that
advocate tolerance. These materials are distributed by projects under her
patronage that promote literacy and educational opportunities for girls.

Forced Religious Conversion of Minor U.S. Citizens

There were no reports of the forced religious conversion
of minor U.S. citizens who had been abducted or illegally removed from the
United States, or of the Government's refusal to allow such citizens to be
returned to the United States.

During the past 2 decades, the "Islamic Group in
Egypt" (Islamic Group) and other terrorist groups that seek the
overthrow of the Government have committed violent acts, including assaults
against government targets, foreign tourists, and Christians. There were no
reported terrorist incidents during the period covered by this report.
Government, Islamic, and community leaders have criticized the attacks
against Christians. The Government remains fully engaged in efforts to
arrest and convict these extremists. However, some Christians allege that
the Government is lax in protecting Christian lives and property. In
October 1999, a State Security Emergency Court in Assiyut city began the
trial of four members of a terrorist group from the upper city of Dairout
who were accused of the murder and attempted murder of policemen and
Christians in the early 1990's. On June 20, 2000, each of the four
defendants was sentenced to 5 years in prison.

Section II. Societal Attitudes

Muslims and Copts share a common history and national
identity. They also share the same ethnicity, race, culture, and language.
Christians are geographically dispersed throughout the country, and
Christians and Muslims live as neighbors. At times religious tensions flare
up and individual acts of prejudice occur. Discrimination is practiced by
members of both faiths. The majority of citizens agree that more needs to
be done to eliminate discrimination, but argue that development of the
economy, polity, and society is the most effective and enduring way to
abolish social prejudice.

The Constitution provides for equal public rights and
duties without discrimination due to religion or creed. For the most part,
these constitutional protections are upheld by the Government. However,
discrimination against Christians exists. There are no Christians serving
as governors, university presidents, and deans. There are few Christians in
the upper ranks of the security services and armed forces. Although there
was improvement in a few areas, government discriminatory practices
include: Suspected statistical underrepresentation of the size of the
Christian population; bias against Christianity and Coptic history in the
educational curriculums; limited coverage of Christian subjects in the
media; failure to admit Christians into public university training programs
for Arabic language teachers (because the curriculum involves study of the
Koran); discrimination against Christians in the public sector; and
discrimination against Christians in staff appointments to public
universities.

Christians have been the objects of occasional violent
assault by the Islamic Group and other terrorists. However, there were no
reports of terrorist attacks against Christians during the period covered
by this report. In incidents unrelated to terrorism, a Christian priest in
the lower (northern) city of Mahalla and a Christian priest in the city of
Dairout were attacked by individual extremists in August and September
1999, respectively. The assailant in the first case was convicted on April
15, 2000 of assault and sentenced to 3 years at hard labor. The assailant
in the second case was determined to be mentally unstable and placed in a
state mental institution on April 29, 2000. The Government provided the
priests with medical care.

The public prosecutor charged Ahmad Fergally Ahmad Nasir
and Ibrahim Fergally Ahmad Nasir with premediated murder after the Nasir
brothers shot and killed a monk on September 2, 1999, in Assiyut
governorate following a land dispute. The monk was affiliated with a
monastery that rents thousands of acres of agricultural land to local
tenants, and the Nasir brothers were tenants on the land. The public
prosecutor appealed the September 21, 1999 verdict of a criminal court that
ruled that the Nasir brothers were guilty of an "attack leading to
death" and sentenced them to 7 years in prison. The public prosecutor
is seeking a conviction for premeditated murder. The case was pending
before an appeals court at mid-2000.

A trade dispute between a Christian clothing merchant
and a Muslim customer that occurred on December 31, 1999, in the village of
Al-Kush in Sohag governorate, escalated into violent exchanges between
Muslims and Christians in the area, resulting in the death of 21 Christians
and 1 Muslim on January 2, 2000. The violence also resulted in the injury
of 39 persons in Al-Kush and 5 persons in the neighboring municipality of
Dar Al-Salaam. Approximately 200 businesses and homes in the area were
damaged. Following the incident, President Mubarak sent the Minister of
Local Administration to Al-Kush as his emissary. The Minister of Housing
and the Public Prosecutor also visited Al-Kush to investigate. The
Government subsequently provided $882 (3000 Egyptian pounds) to each of the
families of those who were killed and $147 (500 Egyptian pounds) to each
person who was injured. The Government relocated and rebuilt 65 kiosks
destroyed in the riots. The placement of the kiosks prior to the incident
had been a subject of longstanding dispute between Christian and Muslim
merchants. The Christian community estimates that Christian residents and
merchants lost $1,061,588 (3,609,400 Egyptian pounds) worth of merchandise
and personal property during the looting. The Ministry of Social Affairs
thus far has disbursed $15,560 (52,900 Egyptian pounds) in compensation.
The Coptic Orthodox Church has provided $192,779 (655,450 Egyptian pounds)
in compensation. Several individuals and organizations also provided
donations to the Christian community in Al-Kush.

On March 11, 2000 the Public Prosecutor announced the
indictment of 135 persons for involvement in the sectarian violence, on
charges ranging from unlawful assembly to murder. Charges initially raised
against a local priest were dropped. On June 3, 2000 a criminal court in
Sohag city conducted the first hearing in the trial of 39 persons indicted
for committing acts of violence in the municipality of Dar Al-Salaam. The
next hearing was scheduled for July 3, 2000. On June 4, 2000, the same
criminal court in Sohag city conducted the first hearing in the trial of 96
persons accused of committing acts of violence in the village of Al-Kush.
The next hearing was scheduled for August 7, 2000. Coptic Orthodox Pope
Shenouda stated publicly that negligence on the part of the police and
local leaders led to an increase in the number of victims and an escalation
of the violence. Although rumors reportedly played a significant role in
exacerbating the violence, no incitement charges were brought. The
Government did not investigate police conduct; however, the director of
state security for Sohag governorate, Said Abu Al-Ma'aly, was removed from
his position in March.

On May 8, 2000, Islamist students from Al-Azhar
University clashed with police after their protest of the Culture
Ministry's re-issuance of a novel, which the students deemed insulting to
Islam, turned violent. Dozens of students were injured and approximately 75
were detained for up to 15 days of questioning. None of the students were
charged for their roles in the incident. Islamic fundamentalists had
objected to the Culture Ministry's supposed pro-Western, anti-Islamic
orientation.

There were reports of forced conversions of Coptic girls
to Islam. Reports of such cases are disputed and often include inflammatory
allegations and categorical denials of kidnaping and rape. Observers,
including human rights groups, find it extremely difficult to determine
whether compulsion was used, as these cases typically involve a Coptic girl
who converts to Islam when she marries a Muslim boy. According to the
Government, the girl in such cases must meet with her family, with her
priest, and with the head of her church before she is allowed to convert.
However, there are credible reports of the Government's failure to ensure
that such meetings occur, of government harassment of Christian families
that attempt to regain custody of their daughters prior to the marriage,
and of the failure of the authorities to uphold the law (which states that
a marriage of a girl under the age of 16 is prohibited, and between the
ages of 16 and 21 is illegal without the approval and presence of her
guardian) in some cases of marriage between an underage Christian girl and
a Muslim male.

There is no legal requirement for a Christian girl or
woman to convert to Islam in order to marry a Muslim. If a Christian woman
marries a Muslim man, she is excommunicated by the Church. Ignorance of the
law and social pressure, including the centrality of marriage to a woman's
identity, often affect her decision. Family conflict and financial pressure
also are cited as factors. In addition, conversion is a means of
circumventing the legal prohibition on marriage between the ages of 16 and
21 without the approval and presence of the girl's guardian. Most Christian
families would object to a daughter's wish to marry a Muslim. However, if a
Christian girl converts to Islam, her family loses guardianship, which
transfers to a Muslim custodian, who is likely to grant approval. The law
is silent on the matter of the acceptable age of conversion.

Official relations between Christian and Muslim
religious figures are amicable, and include reciprocal visits to religious
celebrations. A committee on dialog was established in 1998 by the Vatican
and Al-Azhar, the country's foremost Islamic institution and a preeminent
seminary of Sunni Islamic study. Al-Azhar engages in other interfaith
discussions, both in the country and abroad. The Coptic Evangelical
Organization for Social Services (CEOSS) supports a Center for
Intercultural Dialog. In May 2000, Al-Azhar and the CEOSS cosponsored a
conference on "Religious Thought and Justice." Held in the city
of Port Said, the conference drew more than 100 participants, including the
Minister of Awqaf and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar. Other informal interfaith
discussions take place, as well. Private Christian schools admit Muslim
students, and religious charities serve both communities.

Rejecting foreign and some local negative
characterizations of government treatment of Christians, local Christian
and Muslim leaders formed a Council of "Wise Men" in 1998 to
define the problems of the Christian community and to propose solutions to
the Government and society. The council identified the following five
priorities: Abolishing the Ottoman decree and related regulations governing
the construction and repair of churches; increasing the number of
Christians nominated for elected positions by the governing National
Democratic Party; increasing the number of Christians appointed to senior
government positions; correcting the imbalance in media treatment of
Christian subjects and prohibiting the inclusion of discriminatory
materials; and correcting the deficiencies in the educational curriculums,
including insufficient treatment of the Coptic era of history. The
Government is addressing many of these concerns. In February 2000,
following the new year's sectarian violence in Sohag, these leaders issued
a second petition renewing their call on the Government and society to
abolish religious discrimination. In general there was a significant
increase in press and public discussion of religious discrimination during
the period covered by this report.

Anti-Semitism in the press is found in both the
government press and in the nonofficial press of the opposition parties.
The Government has advised journalists and cartoonists to avoid
anti-Semitism. There have been no anti-Semitic incidents in recent years
directed at the tiny Jewish community.

Section III. U.S. Government Policy

The subject of religious freedom is an important part of
the bilateral dialog. The subject has been raised at all levels of
government, including by the President, Secretary of State, Assistant
Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs, the U.S. Ambassador, and other embassy
officials. The Embassy maintains formal contacts with the Office of Human
Rights at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In addition, the Ambassador has
discussed religious freedom with senior government officials and religious
leaders. The Embassy also regularly discusses religious freedom issues in
contacts with other government officials, including governors and Members
of Parliament. In May 2000, representatives from the State Department's
Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor visited and met with official
interlocutors and community activists. Visiting congressional delegations
have raised religious freedom issues during visits with government
officials.

The U.S. Embassy maintains an active dialog with the
leaders of the Christian and Muslim religious communities, human rights
groups, and other activists. The Embassy investigates every complaint of
religious discrimination brought to its attention. The Embassy also
discusses religious freedom with a range of contacts, including academics,
businessmen, and citizens outside of the capital area, as well as those
from a lower-income background.

The U.S. Mission, including the Department of State and
the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), works in concert to
expand human rights and to ameliorate the conditions that breed religious
strife by promoting economic, social, and political development. U.S.
programs and activities support initiatives in several areas directly
related to religious freedom. During the period covered by this report, the
Mission provided training to Egyptian police in human rights practices and
community policing techniques. The Mission is working to strengthen civil
society, including training for nongovernmental groups that promote
religious tolerance. In March 2000, the Nongovernmental Organization
Service Center was funded by USAID to provide training and technical
assistance to Egyptian NGO's began operating. The Embassy has nominated
participants interested in advocacy for the international visitors program,
and invited American specialists in this subject as part of the State
Department's Speakers Program. Another mission initiative is to strengthen
the rule of law. USAID supports a major effort to improve the
administration of justice, and State Department exchange activities promote
legal reform and access to justice. The Mission also promotes civic
education. The public affairs section of the Embassy is supporting the
development of materials that encourage tolerance, diversity, and
understanding of others, in both Arabic-language and English-language
curriculums. USAID, in collaboration with the Children's Television
Workshop, developed an Egyptian version of the television program Sesame
Street, which is designed to reach isolated households and has as one of
its goals the promotion of tolerance. The show was scheduled to begin in
the summer of 2000; it had not been aired by the end of the period covered
by this report. USAID also supports private voluntary organizations that
are implementing innovative curriculums in private schools. The public
affairs section of the Embassy is leading an effort to increase the
professionalism of the press, with an emphasis on balanced and responsible
coverage. Finally, USAID is working with the Supreme Council of Antiquities
to promote the conservation of cultural antiquities, including Islamic,
Christian, and Jewish historical sites.